I've just listened to it and I think I deserve a medal for making it all the way through once. Three times surely puts you on another level. I have to admit that I only just made it through to the end of the first track (with the odd percussion that made it sound like someone was banging on the ceiling). It did get easier towards the end but I'm not going to put myself through it again.

Don't feel disloyal, Martin - critical consensus can piss off, and other people's opinions can have the seat next to it on the bus. If you like a record, you like a record. If you don't, you don't. Don't sweat it.

Go and listen to Cloudbusting and don't give the new one a minute's thought ever again.

Moving, enigmatic, jazzy, evocative, funny and tragic.

Possibly a masterpiece.

a masterpiece!I've listened half a dozen times and I know, just like "Aeriel", it will continue to grow and reveal itself with each listen. Alongside Feist's "Metals" that is two cracking records this year, now lets get Andy Partridge out of his shed and we'll be really cooking!

Tori Amos (because I'm sure both she and Kate are fed up of being yoked together on the Kookie Tandem) but Tori's scatter-gun approach to releasing albums (virtually one a year) does bring forth some impressive results. Sure there's a lot of crud there too but every album has some gems on it.

I think Kate takes too long thinking about her songs and too long crafting them, inevitably overworking material. I don't dislike the new album but I also don't feel compelled to play it again.

It's a shame that everything Kate does comes with a media fanfare and huge expectations from all of us - that's quite a burden to carry. Maybe if she released more often and relaxed her firm control over when something is finished we wouldn't put so much pressure on.

Tori Amos releases albums so often that she hardly gets noticed and therefore goes on quietly releasing some stunning stuff - her last album made hardly a ripple with reviewers and it's gorgeous.

I have managed to get through it once but rather than comparing it to a walk through some nice, fresh snow in a field during some winter sunshine my experience is more like having hurt my back having slipped on some black ice at night in the middle of a hail storm.

Enjoyed it and will be back for more.

and it's definitely improved every time - first listen was so so, but tried again the following evening and i thought side two was better.
after the third listen, i now think it's rather lovely and the Word review title ' the frost report' is right on the money.
it's an album suited for dark cold evenings like the present, so you wouldn't give it a spin in july, just play aerial instead.